Suzette Carter

FitnessBuff/consultant

TV host (Fit for Life)

It is always good to change your exercise routine ever so often, and walking is one of the ways to go.

Walking can be used for weight control. To lose weight and keep it off, you need to get and keep moving. Being inactive, not to mention bad eating habits, cause us to put on those unwanted pounds.

Walking at a moderate pace for 30 to 60 minutes burns stored fat and can also aid in speeding up your metabolism, which is responsible for burning calories.

Walking an hour a day is also associated with cutting your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and stroke. It’s time to incorporate one-hour walks into your busy schedule.

Warm up

First you want to wake up your muscles, so begin by walking at an easy pace for five to ten minutes.

This tells your muscles they can’t just sit back and burn up available sugars, they need to call on the fat reserves.

This is also why you should not start off walking at a high speed—when you do that, your cells don’t get the signal that this is a long-term activity, so instead they burn up sugars only.

Fat burning

You should walk as if you are on your way to an appointment, or up to ten minutes late for one. Walk at this speed for 30 minutes at a time.

Going faster and faster

Walking “racewalk style” (under 13-minute per mile) will burn more calories per mile. This is only recommended if you are already walking 20 miles a week as described above.

Don’t get frustrated working out with the same routine over and over. There is always something new to try. Have fun!